Trapped in a Closet
by eyeslikestars
Summary: Katie Bell never thought she'd find herself hiding in a 2nd floor broom closet with Fred Weasley or any closet, for that matter. But maybe this could be a good thing..


Blonde hair stuck out of Katie Bell's messy ponytail in all directions, and she was sure that her once freshly pressed Hogwarts uniform now hung limp and dirty from her willowy frame. An impromptu Quidditch practice could do that to a girl. As soon as she returned the small trunk that held the Quidditch balls to the closet on the 2nd floor, she was headed straight for the showers.

Katie dropped the trunk on the floor with a thud and kneeled down to slide it under the shelves where it belonged. Suddenly, she was knocked forward. She looked up to see a flash of red hair before the lights clicked off and the door slammed. It could only mean one thing – she now shared the tiny space with one of the Weasleys. She knew by the height of the person that it wasn't Ginny or Ron, so that only left Fred or George. But which one was it?

There was only one way to find out.

Katie stood back up and clumsily felt her way around the wall for the light switch and clicked it on. Fred Weasley stood with his back to her. He was bent forward and peeking out the door, which he held open just a fraction of an inch. She grinned and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Are you holding me hostage, or am I free to go? Because I _really_ need a shower."

Fred closed the door and turned to face you. Smiling, he held a finger to his lips.

"Sorry, Katie! George and I dropped some dung bombs outside the Great Hall, and Filch is after us."

She should have known he was running from Filch. The Weasley twins were _always_ up to something, and they spent most of their time either planning pranks or hiding from Filch after they carried out a prank.

"It's only been five minutes since practice ended! How did the two of you manage to pull off something like that already?"

"What can I say? We're just talented, I guess." Fred grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets. His uniform was even dirtier than Katie's.

"So what happened to George?" she asked curiously.

"Not a clue. He kept running when I dodged in here." Fred opened the door a crack before closing it again. He looked more excited than frightened. "I don't see Filch, but I know he was right behind us."

"You know, you probably should have chosen somewhere better to hide than the supply closet. This will be the first place he looks."

"Nah, I'm sure he thinks we're still running for it. Besides, I kinda like this closet." He smiled brightly at her.

Was Fred... flirting? With her? Katie and Fred had always been friendly. And of course she thought he was adorable – who could resist that quick grin and his blazing red hair? But they had never been anything more than friends, teammates, fellow Gryffindors.

Well, what was the harm in flirting back a little?

"Yeah, I'm starting to like it, too."

Fred started to speak, but stopped when Katie put her hand over his mouth. Then he heard the familiar shuffle of Filch's footsteps outside the closet. She tried to hold in the laughter that was bubbling in her throat.

After a moment, the shuffling noise was gone. Katie moved her hand from Fred's mouth, and they both leaned forward to peek outside the door. The coast seemed to be clear. As she straightened back up, Katie realized just how close she and Fred were standing. Fred had noticed, too. He tilted his head to the side a bit, apparently considering something.

"Do you want to go to the ball with me?"

Katie smiled.

"I would love to! But you have to promise to leave the dung bombs in your dormitory."

"Alright," he laughed, "I promise."

Fred wrapped his arms around her waist. She tilted your face up to his and closed her eyes. Right before their lips touched, the closet door swung open. Katie squealed.

"Fred, are you in -"

George stopped short as he took in the two of them. He started to laugh. Katie blushed and hid her face in the crook of Fred's neck, suppressing a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, didn't realize you were busy!"

Fred wiggled his eyebrows and shut the door in George's face.


End file.
